Tenth International Conference on Religion & Spirituality in Society

Abstract

The majority of humans on the planet identify with some or other religious tradition or “lifeway.” This is true even of those who identify as “atheists” and “agnostics,” in as much as they live their lives according to particular narratives and metaphysical beliefs. What is most interesting, however, is the fact that Christianity, the largest major religion in the world, has either failed to adequately take into consideration the facts of the natural and social sciences, or Christians have grossly misinterpreted said facts (e.g. Michael Behe and others). What is of special interest is how Christians (and non-Christians) frequently understand the relationship between humanity per se and other species on our planet. Assuming both the Thomisitic and Anselmian the definitions of theology (i.e. “the Queen of the Sciences” and “fides quaerens intellectum”), this paper seeks to establish an (eco)theological anthropology which recognizes the inherent value–the “imago Dei”–present in non-human creatures. Only then, it is argued, can we hope to truly and fully address anthropogenic climate change.